Saturday, February 6, 2010

Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread and Chocolate Tangerine Bars

Just in time for Valentine's Day, one of our current Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook challenges is Chocolate Espresso Whole Wheat Bread. With the same dough from that recipe we could also make Chocolate Tangerine Bars, which you see below. Since time is tight this week, I decided to forgo making the Red Beet Buns which required making an additional dough. The chocolate espresso bread recipe contains whole wheat flour, vital wheat gluten, cocoa, chopped chocolate and strong coffee or espresso. Sounds great, doesn't it?

Jeff Hertzberg said that the recipe for these bars was inspired by a chocolate and citrus flavored pre-wrapped snack served to him on an airplane.

When I saw these beautiful stem-on tangerines at the store a couple of days ago, I didn't have to think any longer about which recipe I would make first.

The already prepared and chilled chocolate espresso dough is blended with tangerine zest, dried cranberries (I used orange-flavored Craisins) and chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips. This was my favorite recipe because of the extra moisture that the dried cranberries, chocolate and tangerine zest gave them. I also love chocolate!

With the same chocolate espresso whole wheat dough recipe we could make either a loaf of bread or make small rolls using muffin tins as a variation. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I chose to make the mini variation using my silicone heart-shaped muffin cups.

They turned out beautifully, but the thing I had forgotten when I tasted one is that this is a bread dough after all and not cake dough, so they were more dry than the treat that they appear to be but delicious in any case!

I am making this bread today and am SO excited! I think I am going to forego the bars and just make a tangerine flavored bread. Perfect for breakfast. And covered in PB. That is my good-bread-test actually. If I can't cover it in peanut butter, there is no use for it in my life.

I made mini loafs and I'm cutting into one for breakfast this very morning.. Cant wait to make the bars today. These sweet breads are always so deceiving. My eyes say cake and yet it's bread. I love your heart shaped ones. Too cute!!!

Susan, the recipe sounds delicious, BUT I love to come to your blog to see your photos. The tangerine with the stem and leaves attached just brought a little sunshine into the gray, dreary day here. And the picture with the chilled dough and add-ins makes me want to reach in a grab a hunk even before it's mixed up and baked. :) Gorgeous post ...

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